Toilet bowl with hydraulic leveling upward rim feed from lowered flush valve



M y 1964 H. B. ROBERTS 3,131,402

TOILET BOWL WITH HYDRAULIC LEVELING UPWARD RIM FEED FROM LOWERED FLUSHVALVE Filed March 25, 1963 Arman/2;,

United States Patent Ofiice rorrnr newt wrrri nvnnaurrc LEVELENG WWARDRIM FEED FRQM LGWJERED FLUH VALVE Herbert B. Roberts, Studio City,assigner to Western Pottery Company, ind, lliollydale, Cahii, acorporation of California Filed Mar. 25, 1963, Ser. No. 267,492 7Claims. (Cl. 4-44) This invention relates to sanitary toilet bowls. Itsgeneral object is to provide a bowl that will accommodate a tank ofreduced heighth and with improved, silenced flushing mechanism. Aspecific object is to provide a toilet bowl which, in a tank and bowlcombination, provides a very substantial reduction in over-all heighthand has an improved streamlined appearance. .More specifically, theinvention provides an improved toilet bowl having a tank positioned at alower level than in conventional bowls.

A further object is to provide a toilet bowl having flushing mechanismof improved quietness in operation. More specifically, the inventionaims to provide an improved method of controlling the flow of water intothe rim duct and into the well hole of the bowl so as to achieveimproved quietness.

A further object is to provide a toilet bowl and tank assembly whereinimproved silentness of flushing is achieved by locating the fiush valveat a level below the level of the bowl rim such as to provide directcommunication between the tank outlet and a body of water nor mallystanding in the tank-supporting flange of the bowl,

with no air trapped therebetween, and by utilizing a gravity andhydraulic leveling flow for supplying water from this valve both to therim and to the well hole of the bowl free of intermingled air whichnormally causes noise. I find that by controlling the flow of water tothe rim flushing duct from a level below the rim level and causing thewater to rise from the tank outlet to the rim flushing duct, thatimproved quietness is obtained.

A still further object is to combine the features of low heighth,compactness and quiet operation in a toilet bowl of the reverse traptype.

More specifically, the invention provides a toilet bowl and tankasesmbly wherein the tank outlet is located at a level at least as lowas the level of water normally standing in the bowl, and communicatesdirectly with a body of water normally standing in the lower end of arimsupply duct extending upwardly therefrom, thereby avoiding anytrapped air between the tank outlet and said standing body of water,whereby improved quietness of flushing operation is attained.

The objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent in theensuin specification and appended drawing in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective View of a toilet bowl unit embodying myinvention;

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of the same with the bowl shown insection in its median longitudinal vertical plane;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary longitudinal sectional view illustrating theflow of flushing water from the tank outlet to the rim duct; and

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary rear elevational view of the toilet assembly.

Referring now to the drawings in detail, I have shown therein, as anexample of one form in which the invention may be embodied, a sanitarytoilet assembly comprising, in general, a bowl A having a conventionalseat and cover assembly B; and a flushing tank unit C mounted upon arecessed flange portion at the back of the bowl A.

The bowl A, which may be of cast ceramic material 3,131,402 Patented May5 1964 in accordance with conventional practice, comprises a base it)for mounting the bowl upon a floor surface 11 and having a bottom outlet12 for connection to a soil pipe 13; a bowl body 14 above the base Illand having a rim 15 defining a rim flushing duct 16 with flushingapertures 117 in the inward under shoulder thereof; a siphoning trapwaycomprising a rising portion 19 extending upwardly and rearwardly from awell-hole 18 in the bottom of the bowl, a descending portion 20extending downwardly and having a choke 20' for retarding flow until thetrapway is filled, to start siphoning action, and a portion 21 extendingforwardly and terminating in the outlet 12; and a jet-flush pipe 22extending along one side of the bowl and terminating in a jet aperture23 in the one side of the bowl just above the well hole 18, forinjecting flush water into the bowl with a vortex action.

The pipe 22 may be formed as an integral outwardly bulged portion of oneof the side walls of the base portion Iii, the trapway 19, 20 and thewell-hole 27 of the bowl, as shown in FIG. 1. At its rear end, pipe 22has an inlet 24 in the side wall of a coupling flange 26.

The tank unit C is seated upon a horizontal shelf 25 constituting thetop of the coupling flange 26, which is integral with the trapway 19, 20and may be of the same width, the rear wall of trapway 19, 20constituting an integral forward wall of flange 26 and the side walls offlange 216 being formed as integral co-planar rearward extensions of theside walls of duct 20 as indicated in FIG. 4. Flange 26 defines a plenumchamber 27 which, when the flush valve is opened, receives the dischargewater from tank unit C, and distributes it forwardly through the jetpipe 22 to the trapway 19 and upwardly through a rim-supply duct 28 tothe rim duct 16. The forward wall of rim-supply duct 28 is defined bythe upward portion of the rear wall of trapway 19, 20; the rear wall 29of rim-supply duct 28 is a fiat, vertical Wall extended upwardly fromshelf 25 with a suitably curved connecting portion as shown, and theside walls 30 of rim-supply duct 23 are integral upward extensions ofthe side walls of trapway 19, 2t? as indicated at 30 in FIG. 4. Theupper end of rim-supply duct 28 terminates in a head chamber 31 whichconstitutes an enlarged portion of the rim duct 1% at the rear endthereof and which functions to distribute the flush water to bothsidesof the rim ductl'. v,

Tank C has in its bottom 35 an outlet 36 defined by a fitting which isseated in and suitably sealed to an inlet spud 37 in the supportingshelf 25. A conventional flush valve 38 is adapted to seat in the outlet36 to normally retain the flush water in the tank C. The valve 38 isadapted to be lifted by conventional valve-operating mechanism triggeredby depression of the valve handle 39 (FIG. 2) and adapted to hold thevalve 38 in a raised position until the tank is emptied, and to thendrop it back into seating position in the outlet 36. The raising of thevalve permits the water to flow by gravity from the tank C into theplenum chamber 27, thence forwardly through the jet pipe 22 as indicatedby arrow 41, and upwardly through rim-supply duct 28 as indicated byarrows 42, thence into the rim duct 16 and downwardly through the rimapertures 17 as indicated by arrows 43.

In considering the operation of the apparatus, it should be firstnoticed that nearly /2 of the height of the normal water level (sodesignated in FIG. 2) above the bottom of tank C is disposed below therim-flush level (or the rim-flush apertures 17) and the remainder of theheight is above that level. The gravity operation of the upper /2 of thebody of water is effective to produce the upward flow 42 from the plenumchamber 27 into the rim duct 16. The tank outlet 36, instead ofdischarging almost directly into the rim duct as in the conventionaltoilet, discharges into the enlarged plenum chamber 27 which, togetherwith the extended distance from this plenum chamber vertically upwardlyto the rim duct 16, mufiles and reduces the noise of flow of the waterfrom the tank outlet to the rim duct, where most of the noise in theconventional toilet is developed.

The flushing noise of the ordinary toilet is due principally to thetrapped air rising through the water that is descending into anair-filled chamber from the tank outlet. I largely eliminate thiscondition by locating the trapped air above the column of flush water,which moves upwardly in order to feed the rim-flush duct, rather thandownwardly in the conventional toilet. Thus I avoid the burbling eflectof downwardly moving water and upwardly moving, displaced air in theconventional toilet installation, and eliminate a major percentage ofthe resulting noise.

The extended flushing operation in the bowl 14 following the cessationof flushing in the rim duct 16, increases the efficiency of the toiletin discharging the last remnants of sewage material through the trapway1921. At the end of the flushing operation, the column of water fillingthe trapway 19, 20 operates with the conventional siphoning action tocomplete the emptying of the bowl 14 until the water seal is broken atthe lower end of outlet duct 18, thus breaking the siphoning action.

I claim:

1. In combination: a tank; a toilet bowl having a flushing rim, a wellhole, a siphoning trapway and a jet pipe for vortex flushing of saidwell hole; a flushing system including a plenum chamber receiving waterfrom said tank and delivering it to said jet pipe, and a rim supply ductextending upwardly from said plenum chamber to deliver water to saidflushing rim with a quiet upward flow; said tank having a gravity flowoutlet connected to said plenum chamber and a flush valve normallyclosing said outlet; said outlet being disposed substantially below thelevel of said flushing rim and in contact with a body of water normallystanding in said plenum chamber, without air gap therebetween.

i 2. The combination defined in claim 1, wherein sai outlet ispositioned substantially at the water line in said bowl.

3. The combination defined in claim 1, wherein approximately one half ofthe head of water in said tank is disposed below the level of saidflushing rim, and the balance of said head is above said level.

.4. A toilet bowl comprising: a bowl body having a well hole, a flushingjet pipe for vortex flushing of said well hole, and a tubular rimproviding a duct for rimfiushing; a siphoning trapway extending upwardlyand rearwardly from said well hole and thence downwardly, the upperextremity of said trapway determining the water line in the bowl; awater-distribution coupling flange projecting from the back side of saidtrapway; a horizontal shelf defining the upper extremity of said flangeand providing a support for the bottom of a tank having a bottom outlet,said shelf having an inlet spud connected to said bottom outlet at thelevel of said water line; said flange defining a plenum chambercommunicating with said jet pipe and normally holding a body of water indirect communication with said inlet spud; a rim supply duct extendingupwardly from said plenum chamber behind said trapway and communicatingwith said rim-flushing duct for delivering upward flow of water thereto,the flow of water from said inlet spud into said plenum chamber beingfree of commingled air and therefore quiet; said shelf and tank outletbeing located approximately at the level of said water line whereby saidplenum chamber is normally filled with water in direct communicationwith said tank outlet and mixing of air with the flushing flow from saidoutlet, is avoided.

5. The combination defined in claim 4, wherein said rim supply duct hasa vertical rear wall extending upwardly from said coupling flange andabutting the front of said tank.

6. A toilet bowl as defined in claim 4, wherein said shelf is disposedbelow said rim a distance equal to approximately one half the water headin said tank.

7. A toilet bowl comprising a bowl body; a tubular rim providing a ductfor rim-flushing; means for supporting a separate flush water tank withits outlet at a level below said rim duct; means providing a plenumchamber for normally holding a standing body of water in which saidoutlet is submerged; and a rim supply duct extending upwardly from saidplenum chamber and connected to said rim duct at the back of the bowl,whereby water discharged from the bottom of said tank into saidconnection will flow into said plenum chamber and thence upwardly intosaid rim duct with a quiet flow.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,670,326 Teahen May 22, 1928 1,748,197 Tilden Feb. 25, 1930 2,013,231Bonner Sept. 3, 1935 2,028,468 Murphy J an. 21, 1936 FOREIGN PATENTS496,157 Great Britain Nov. 25, 1938

1. IN COMBINATION: A TANK; A TOILET BOWL HAVING A FLUSHING RIM, A WELL HOLE, A SIPHONING TRAPWAY AND A JET PIPE FOR VORTEX FLUSHING OF SAID WELL HOLE; A FLUSHING SYSTEM INCLUDING A PLENUM CHAMBER RECEIVING WATER FROM SAID TANK AND DELIVERING IT TO SAID JET PIPE, AND A RIM SUPPLY DUCT EXTENDING UPWARDLY FROM SAID PLENUM CHAMBER TO DELIVER WATER TO SAID FLUSHING RIM WITH A QUIET UPWARD FLOW; SAID TANK HAVING A GRAVITY FLOW OUTLET CONNECTED TO 